Some Sobering DUI Statistics

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data sheets, a drunk-driving-related death occurs every 51 minutes in the U.S. Not surprisingly, drivers involved in fatal crashes having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent or higher were seven times more likely to have a prior conviction for DWI than drivers with no alcohol in their system.

With more than 1.4 million people arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics in 2010 alone, DUI statistics such as these are sobering facts for all of us. Just as every person is different, so too is every case of DUI and the circumstances surrounding it. Without a skilled DUI lawyer, Clearwater and Tampa Bay residents accused of DUI are more likely to receive an unfavorable outcome in their DUI case.

The CDC data sheet goes on to estimate that the annual cost of crashes involving alcohol impairment is $37 billion. Highway Traffic Safety Administration data echoes these results and adds that 65 percent of the alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in 2012 involved drivers who had a greater BAC than 0.08 percent. Of the 33,561 alcohol and drug related vehicle accident deaths nationally that year, Florida accounted for 2,424, which was the third largest number of all of the states that year behind Texas and California.

Every DUI defendant is at a distinct disadvantage when they choose to represent themselves without the assistance of an experienced Tampa DUI attorney.

When you look at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Annual Citation Report for any year, you will find a significant percentage of DUI cases result in reduced or dismissed charges. It stands to reason that in the vast majority of those cases the DUI defendant enlisted the help of a Tampa DUI attorney who was capable of finding the legal route to those reduced or dismissed charges